Declutter Your Kitchen: Pro Chefs Detail the Most Useless Kitchen Tools

Our kitchens are filled with tools and gadgets that are supposed to make whipping up dinner easier. While essential kitchen utensils can speed up the process, not every option available is worth stuffing into your cabinets. A quality knife or kitchen shears are more versatile options that won't end up sitting in a drawer taking up space and collecting dust. Instead of chasing every buzzy new appliance, it pays to stick with gear that's functional, reliable and actually makes your life easier.

To help you sort the essentials from the excess, we asked chefs and kitchen pros which gadgets are worth the hype -- and which ones are better left behind. Because when decluttering your kitchen, knowing what not to buy is just as important as knowing what to keep. These career cooks are the ultimate authority on which kitchen gadgets should get the boot -- especially when cupboard, counter and drawer space is limited.

Chef Morimoto's Pick: The Most Overrated Kitchen Tool

Masaharu Morimoto shared his pick for the most overrated kitchen tool. Chef Morimoto encourages beefing up your knife skills to make thin and uniform vegetable slices. Why:

"While it brings good slices, mastering proper knife skills gives you more control, precision and safety in the long run. Mandolins can be bulky, hard to clean and risky if you're not extremely careful. Relying too much on a mandolin, or tools like a two-in-one apple cutter or a tomato corer can hold you back from developing real technique. Taking the time to learn how to handle a sharp chef's knife or Japanese blade will help you in almost every recipe."

What to try instead: Mac 8-inch Japanese chef knife.

Eric Rowse Knows a Gimmicky Kitchen Tool When He Sees One

Lead chef-instructor Institute of Culinary Education, Los Angeles Culinary instructor Eric Rowse knows a gimmicky kitchen tool when he sees one. Why:

"These look like a weapon for Wolverine wannabes; it's meant to help you hold a whole onion and "chop" it. Instead, cut the onion in half to create a flat surface so it won't roll away. If you're trying to cut rings, save the $14 and stick a fork in the root and hold the fork."

What to try instead: Learn to properly slice an onion the old-fashioned way.

Cutting Onions Without Tears

Save your money -- and some dignity -- and skip the onion goggles. Why:

"A waste of money, as they don't form a great seal around the eyes to prevent the sulfur compounds from getting to your eyes and making you cry. Keep your knife sharp and open a window or turn on a fan instead."

What to try instead: CNET's Peter Butler shares tips for cutting onions without crying.

Cutting Boards

Glass, stone and metal boards are OK for serving but when slicing and dicing, wood is the way to go. Why:

"Cutting on hard surfaces is bad for your knives; instead, go for wood or poly."

What to try instead: Our list of the best cutting boards features plenty of knife-safe options.

Stripping Herbs

I can't think of anyone needing a tool devoted to shredding chicken outside a restaurant and even restaurants don't use it. This item only has one purpose so I'd skip it.

What to try instead: Two forks.

Meat Probes

I love thyme but hate stripping it. When I was young I got suckered into believing this tool would help me … It's been sitting in my cupboard, laughing at me for almost a decade now."

What to try instead: For heartier herbs like rosemary and thyme, just use your fingers to slide down the stem, opposite to how the leaves grow.

Manual Can Openers

A manual can opener is cheaper, works great and is less likely to break. Why:

"Most of us grew up with an electric can opener permanently stationed on the kitchen counter, like it was a vital appliance. But truthfully, they're more nostalgia than necessity. They take up space, can be a hassle to clean and often struggle with irregularly sized cans. A good manual opener is compact, reliable and gets the job done without needing an outlet or a user manual."

What to try instead: Oxo's soft-handled can opener.

Avoid Specialized Tools

A knife and spoon do the job just as easily and the specialized tool rarely fits all avocado sizes properly. It's a one-trick pony that clutters drawers.

What to try instead: A good paring knife like this $35 Wusthof.

Separating Eggs

A tool just for separating yolks is unnecessary for most home cooks.

What to try instead: Cracking an egg and using the shell halves or your fingers works just as well.

Pizza Night

Rolling garlic cloves in a silicone tube may work but requires storing a single-purpose gadget.

What to try instead: Smashing garlic cloves with a chef knife is quicker and more reliable. Chef Ingraham says skip the scissors on pizza night.

What to try instead: KitchenAid's stainless-steel pizza wheel.

Poached Eggs

Boiling eggs in a pot is straightforward and flexible. The electric version just adds clutter unless you boil eggs constantly and hate using a stove.

What to try instead: This 1-minute hack for making poached eggs in the microwave.

Butter Knives

A good butter knife works just as well and requires less space and maintenance. Why:

"It slices sticks of butter into pats … but why? A knife works instantly and you don't have to load and clean a plastic gadget for it."

What to try instead: Williams Sonoma breakfast butter blade.

Oven Mitts

There's a reason pro chefs don't use oven mitts. Why:

"Oven mitts are the most useless item in a home kitchen. A sturdy kitchen towel does the same job, and odds are, it's more likely to be washed regularly. I don't know many people who wash their oven mitts frequently enough ... it seems many have deemed it an item that doesn't warrant regular cleaning. It does."

What to try instead: Stock a plethora of kitchen towels.